Heat Pumps for the Home
Author John Cantor Illustrator Gavin Harper
Crowood Press
ISBN 9781785007798
158 pages, 155 colour photographs and diagrams
Second edition release date – November 2020
Heat pumps are surprising devices that can extract heat energy from something that appears to be cold – from the air or the ground for example – and ‘magically’ use it for home heating. This concept is somewhat perplexing and goes counter to our natural sense of how things ought to work, so it is not surprising that some people wonder if heat pumps really do what they claim. There is, after all, no shortage of gadgets that fail to do what they say on the box!
In this book we want to give you the whole picture, warts and all. Like any other technology, heat pumps can perform poorly if badly installed or used for the wrong purposes and we cannot expect them always to match the exaggerated promises of salesmen.
But the basics are straightforward. The science is completely sound. The engineering principles are well established. And we know from hands-on experience that heat pumps will deliver low heating bills if they are installed properly. This book aims to demystify a subject clouded in hype and misunderstanding.
The book starts at first principles, so prior knowledge is not needed, but is also aimed at anyone who wants to improve their understanding of modern heat pumps, such as householders, planners, plumbers, students or architects. It is also devoid of sales hype and spin, so offers a balanced view. Armed with the content of this book, the informed homeowner or designer should be able to judge whether a heat pump installation might be appropriate in a given situation (or not), and how its performance might be optimised.
Why buy Heat Pumps for the Home?
Given that heating is expensive, and probably a considerable ‘chunk’ of one’s income, the cost of this book is tiny by comparison. It could help you to avoid installing an inappropriate system – potentially a very expensive mistake. It might help you get a good system running even better.
See Crowood.com website. -Heat-Pumps-for-the-Home—Second-Edition–
Hi John, i have option of ground or air source for underfloor heating on new extension. Which should i choose?
There is no easy answer to this. In the past, it would generally be a better long-term option to fit GSHP. This would have a longer pay-back period, but the system is likely to last longer and give better performance, particularly in the middle of winter. The RHI payments may have ‘enticed’ you towards the GSHP.
However, ASHPs have improved. They are more energy-efficient than they used to be, and if winters remain as mild as they have been of recent years, then ASHP might be the way to go. That said, if we ever get a severe winter, then some ASHPs may struggle a little, however, for extreme weather, I don’t personally see that a problem.
There are a few other considerations.. I guess your extension has low heat requirements. It maybe therefore be hard to justify the cost and upheaval of GSHP. Indeed ASHPs are so much quicker and easier to install. If you ask most installers, I think they would be advising you to fit an ASHP
Could you tell me how to get a copy of the e-book version?
Sorry if it doesn’t seem obvious. I assumed Crowood and amazon sell the e version. Is that not the case?
Hi John, I have just decided to buy a heat pump for our new house. I have ordered the book in order to learn more. I will let you know how we get on. Manu thanks